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Thursday, December 28, 1911: Wanted Ma to go to Milton this morning, but she wouldn’t do it. Of course I was going along and get some things I wanted. It isn’t muddy any longer because it has gotten colder. Wish it would soon snow. Saw a mousie in the drawers of the desk. Managed to give him a whack, but he got away. But all the same I got him; by the tail too. I’m not afraid of mice, but he’s afraid of me. Poor creature.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

It’s interesting how this diary entry considered the perspective of the mouse. Grandma was braver than I am. I screamed last fall when a mouse ran across my kitchen floor.

Yes, those country mice sure were fast moving. Your comment brings back memories of seeing mice out of the corner of my eye when I was a child–and not being sure whether to admit to myself that I’d seen a mouse or whether to tell myself that I hadn’t really seen anything.

Hi Sheryl! What a funny story about your grandmother and the mouse that she got by the tail! She had a great sense of humor! Hey, I just posted the little article about your grandmother and the 1911 aprons. I didn’t make it by Christmas, but it’s up now! I hope you receive visits by new friends, as the link worked to your site. Thank you again for the permission to use your wonderful words and photos. Happy New Year! I’ll be checking in now and then! Dianne at heirloomapronsandbuttons.blogspot.com

Hello

I look forward to sharing my grandmother's diary with relatives and friends. Helena Muffly (Swartz) kept a diary from 1911-1914. She was 15 years old when she began this diary. I plan to post these entries one day at a time—exactly 100 years after she wrote them. I hope you enjoy this glimpse back to a slower paced time.

The header is a picture of the farm where my grandmother lived when she wrote this diary. It is located in Northumberland County in central Pennsyvlania about a mile outside of McEwenvsille. My father said that the buildings look similar to what they looked like when he was a child.